First time WRX Wagon Owner
04 February 2015, 10:53 AM
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First time WRX Wagon Owner
Hi guys and girls,
as per the title, got my first wagon last weekend. Its a 2000 model in standard Subaru colours. Its got 93K on the clock and has 2 previous owners.
The reason I chose this particular one is that it was the most standard out of the cars that I saw. Most had big mileage on top of aftermarket dump valves and remaps etc. Thiugh I'd be safer going for a standard vehicle.
Condition wise, its not perfect. As you'd expect for a 15 year old car. Its got a couple of chips and scratches and a bit of cracking paint on the rear bumper. But nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this age.
How easy/expensive is it to swap body panels on these cars? I quite fancy doing a saloon front end swap as I've heard that the arches are more aggressive?
Any problems swapping the interior parts for STI items either? I like the look of the later 3 spoke sti steering wheel too!
Thanks for looking
as per the title, got my first wagon last weekend. Its a 2000 model in standard Subaru colours. Its got 93K on the clock and has 2 previous owners.
The reason I chose this particular one is that it was the most standard out of the cars that I saw. Most had big mileage on top of aftermarket dump valves and remaps etc. Thiugh I'd be safer going for a standard vehicle.
Condition wise, its not perfect. As you'd expect for a 15 year old car. Its got a couple of chips and scratches and a bit of cracking paint on the rear bumper. But nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this age.
How easy/expensive is it to swap body panels on these cars? I quite fancy doing a saloon front end swap as I've heard that the arches are more aggressive?
Any problems swapping the interior parts for STI items either? I like the look of the later 3 spoke sti steering wheel too!
Thanks for looking
04 February 2015, 01:12 PM
#2
Hi and welcome, does look a nice standard car, and I know what you mean sometimes you need a clean slate to start from.
Front bumper isn't to bad, there was a removal guide on here for a classic which I used on my, helped loads. Not sure bout newage though.
Interior is very easy to change, should take under an hour. Steering wheel quite easy aswell, just rember to discount battery first. (air bag)
Here's something that might make you think about front end conversion, did you know you can do a Blob or Hawkeye conversion on the bug?
Front bumper isn't to bad, there was a removal guide on here for a classic which I used on my, helped loads. Not sure bout newage though.
Interior is very easy to change, should take under an hour. Steering wheel quite easy aswell, just rember to discount battery first. (air bag)
Here's something that might make you think about front end conversion, did you know you can do a Blob or Hawkeye conversion on the bug?
04 February 2015, 02:36 PM
#3
no hassles in swapping the STI bits into it, if your seats have separate headrests and airbags then you'll need to make up some resistors when fitting the STI seats otherwise the airbag light will be on.
You can swap in clocks from an STI or you can fit clocks from an blobeye as well (little wiring change needed). I like the WRX clocks on a WRX plus the blob ones have the rev counter in the middle instead of off to the side.
Main thing to check out engine-wise is the uppipe cat, you can have the old one bashed out or you can replace the uppipe with an STI (or classic impreza) uppipe - check the breakers on here you should pick them up pretty cheap. Reason for this is the WRX uppipe cat might decide to fall apart with age and become one with your turbo causing all sorts of damage. No mapping changes needed to fit it and your turbo will spool a little quicker as well.
You can swap in clocks from an STI or you can fit clocks from an blobeye as well (little wiring change needed). I like the WRX clocks on a WRX plus the blob ones have the rev counter in the middle instead of off to the side.
Main thing to check out engine-wise is the uppipe cat, you can have the old one bashed out or you can replace the uppipe with an STI (or classic impreza) uppipe - check the breakers on here you should pick them up pretty cheap. Reason for this is the WRX uppipe cat might decide to fall apart with age and become one with your turbo causing all sorts of damage. No mapping changes needed to fit it and your turbo will spool a little quicker as well.
16 February 2015, 10:20 PM
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Hey guys,
a bit of an update. I got some better pictures for one!
I've had the car about 2 weeks now and the good news is that I'm still loving it!
Plus, I've now had a good chance to give the car a go over and come up with a plan of action on what to do next.
The car has got brand new discs and pads all round plus re-conditioned calipers on the front. However for some reason, the brakes squeal something fierce when I brake. But not under hard braking. Any ideas? I'm thinking of maybe trying different compound pads?
The car is going to need tyres in the next month or so too. Now I've been looking at the Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrical 2's as a replacement. Anything will be better than the 4 odd tyres that are on at the moment
Other than that, everything is cosmetic. Theres the usual wear and tear on the bodywork with scrapes and chips here and there, and a botched dent repair on the front of the bonnet. Oh and the wheels on either side of the car are different shades of gold haha!
Wouldn't mind upgrading the antiroll bars and getting some strut braces too to sharpen the handling up a touch too!
let me know what you think!!
a bit of an update. I got some better pictures for one!
I've had the car about 2 weeks now and the good news is that I'm still loving it!
Plus, I've now had a good chance to give the car a go over and come up with a plan of action on what to do next.
The car has got brand new discs and pads all round plus re-conditioned calipers on the front. However for some reason, the brakes squeal something fierce when I brake. But not under hard braking. Any ideas? I'm thinking of maybe trying different compound pads?
The car is going to need tyres in the next month or so too. Now I've been looking at the Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrical 2's as a replacement. Anything will be better than the 4 odd tyres that are on at the moment
Other than that, everything is cosmetic. Theres the usual wear and tear on the bodywork with scrapes and chips here and there, and a botched dent repair on the front of the bonnet. Oh and the wheels on either side of the car are different shades of gold haha!
Wouldn't mind upgrading the antiroll bars and getting some strut braces too to sharpen the handling up a touch too!
let me know what you think!!
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17 February 2015, 12:05 AM
#8
don't forget to get your head and arm up into the arches at the rear where the crud collects - for the age of it there's very likely to be something manky hiding up in there for you to discover 
You can swap the ARBs and the lower arms from an STI on to it, if your doing that lot get the poly steering rack bushes as I thought they made a good difference to the wheel feedback and definitely weren't big money.
You can swap the ARBs and the lower arms from an STI on to it, if your doing that lot get the poly steering rack bushes as I thought they made a good difference to the wheel feedback and definitely weren't big money.
17 February 2015, 09:20 AM
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Nice wagon, looks like mine before I modded it. With the interior just be careful with the sti one out of a saloon as its not simply bolt in as saloon rear seats dont fold down so you have to make a support bracket to fix them in.
Ive done all the mods your talking about so if you need any help just gimme a shout.
Hers mine now.
Ive done all the mods your talking about so if you need any help just gimme a shout.
Hers mine now.
17 February 2015, 04:18 PM
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Nice wagon, looks like mine before I modded it. With the interior just be careful with the sti one out of a saloon as its not simply bolt in as saloon rear seats dont fold down so you have to make a support bracket to fix them in.
Ive done all the mods your talking about so if you need any help just gimme a shout.
Ive done all the mods your talking about so if you need any help just gimme a shout.
Thanks for the kind words guys, I'll be sure to update when I get something worth updating!
17 February 2015, 04:32 PM
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Cheers fella, shes lowered on BC coilovers, Shes about to get a few more mods:
Brembo Brake conversion
6 speed conversion
Roof Bar delete kit.
both sat here i just need to find time to fit them.
Shes not long been mapped at 360bhp too
she is also going into the bodyshop next month for wide arch rear conversion and a few more body mods.
Brembo Brake conversion
6 speed conversion
Roof Bar delete kit.
both sat here i just need to find time to fit them.
Shes not long been mapped at 360bhp too
she is also going into the bodyshop next month for wide arch rear conversion and a few more body mods.
17 February 2015, 09:00 PM
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Noobaru, nice to welcome another wagon owner mate, a nice standard looking example there but I'm sure it won't stay like that for long if you hang around here...
I've started a little wagon thread of my own here: https://www.scoobynet.com/members-ga...l#post11434723 to give you some ideas, although some of them include adding some bug bits to my blob!
ZX-TT, your wagon is one of my favourites, have you started a project thread? Would be good to catch-up with what you've done so far, and you're future mods.
I've started a little wagon thread of my own here: https://www.scoobynet.com/members-ga...l#post11434723 to give you some ideas, although some of them include adding some bug bits to my blob!
ZX-TT, your wagon is one of my favourites, have you started a project thread? Would be good to catch-up with what you've done so far, and you're future mods.
18 February 2015, 05:00 PM
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Cheers fella, I havent yet, I should really but have so many pics and so much has been done so far it would take forever to write.
Shes into the bodyshop in a couple of weeks for wide arch rear conversion + ABW extensions and chargespeed side skirts. then new wheels.
I still have the 6 speed conversion & brakes to fit. Also roof bars to delete.
Always happy to chat on PM or mob if you want any info or help with anything.
Craig
Shes into the bodyshop in a couple of weeks for wide arch rear conversion + ABW extensions and chargespeed side skirts. then new wheels.
I still have the 6 speed conversion & brakes to fit. Also roof bars to delete.
Always happy to chat on PM or mob if you want any info or help with anything.
Craig
Last edited by ZX-TT; 18 February 2015 at 05:01 PM.
18 March 2015, 10:10 PM
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The wagon got a bit of loving last weekend:
Had the stock wheels bead blasted and powder-coated in antracite. Since the original gold was bubbling off on one side and was a totally different color on the other,
I thought it was time for a bit of a tidy up!
I also got a set of Continental Conti Sport Contact 5's at the same time. The car was in bad need of new boots as the rubber I got with the car was odd on all 4 corners!
The matching rubber has made the car a lot more planted in the corners and seems to track almost true now so that has to be a plus!
I serviced the car about 6 weeks ago and got the existing engine oil flushed as it was totally black (car comes fully serviced my ***!) and filled it back up with Millers fully-synth 5w-40w. But when I came to check my oil level a couple of weeks ago, the car had used about a litre of oil. Is this normal after a oil brand and filter change?
I topped the oil back up and it hasnt used any since
should I try a different brand/thickness maybe? or am I being paranoid? The car is ticking up to 95K and it is 15 years old now so I suppose I should expect some 'character' 
Had the stock wheels bead blasted and powder-coated in antracite. Since the original gold was bubbling off on one side and was a totally different color on the other,
I thought it was time for a bit of a tidy up!
I also got a set of Continental Conti Sport Contact 5's at the same time. The car was in bad need of new boots as the rubber I got with the car was odd on all 4 corners!
The matching rubber has made the car a lot more planted in the corners and seems to track almost true now so that has to be a plus!
I serviced the car about 6 weeks ago and got the existing engine oil flushed as it was totally black (car comes fully serviced my ***!) and filled it back up with Millers fully-synth 5w-40w. But when I came to check my oil level a couple of weeks ago, the car had used about a litre of oil. Is this normal after a oil brand and filter change?
I topped the oil back up and it hasnt used any since
should I try a different brand/thickness maybe? or am I being paranoid? The car is ticking up to 95K and it is 15 years old now so I suppose I should expect some 'character'
Last edited by Noobaru; 18 March 2015 at 10:11 PM.
18 March 2015, 11:24 PM
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Starting to look better already! Paintwork is looking good, notice you haven't fitted the wheel centres, did they not paint match them for you?
The oil is correct for a newage and is what I'm using, I take it you have double/triple checked the level as every time I check I get different reading unless I take the dip stick out and wait 10mins for oil sucked up the tube to drain out. I wonder if the flush has highlighted some wear and the thinner oil is now getting through? Might be worth going back to 10w40 (recommended for classics) and seeing how you go
The oil is correct for a newage and is what I'm using, I take it you have double/triple checked the level as every time I check I get different reading unless I take the dip stick out and wait 10mins for oil sucked up the tube to drain out. I wonder if the flush has highlighted some wear and the thinner oil is now getting through? Might be worth going back to 10w40 (recommended for classics) and seeing how you go
19 March 2015, 12:59 AM
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Nice wagon mate...I have a 2001 Wagon Wrx in my stable...wicked all round practical motor that can outperform a lot of today's cars and still not too bad mpg...I get about 30s average from mine.
19 March 2015, 06:05 AM
#18
Nice wagon, I use Motul 300V 15/50 in my blob wagon which is just about to go to 114k I bought it on 92k, did a load of reading on the subject and general consensus seems to be on higher milage engines 10 or 15 - 40 or 50 is better, but I would just make sure you use good quality oil and change it every 5/6k after a couple of rapid changes it will stay clean. mine uses a small amount of oil but I do a lot of short journeys on a long run of 1300 miles it doesn't use any, I just make sure I keep an eye on it and always have a litre bottle in the spare wheel well.
They go well with just a PPP map some PCA Dynamics springs, steering rack and roll bar poly bushes, STI rear roll bar is enough.
They go well with just a PPP map some PCA Dynamics springs, steering rack and roll bar poly bushes, STI rear roll bar is enough.
19 March 2015, 10:55 AM
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Looking really good fella, Very Clean indeed. I run a group on FB just for wagon owners. we are arganising some meets this year so hopefully we will see you at some.
19 March 2015, 01:40 PM
#20
Hi guys and girls,
as per the title, got my first wagon last weekend. Its a 2000 model in standard Subaru colours. Its got 93K on the clock and has 2 previous owners.
The reason I chose this particular one is that it was the most standard out of the cars that I saw. Most had big mileage on top of aftermarket dump valves and remaps etc. Thiugh I'd be safer going for a standard vehicle.
Condition wise, its not perfect. As you'd expect for a 15 year old car. Its got a couple of chips and scratches and a bit of cracking paint on the rear bumper. But nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this age.
How easy/expensive is it to swap body panels on these cars? I quite fancy doing a saloon front end swap as I've heard that the arches are more aggressive?
Any problems swapping the interior parts for STI items either? I like the look of the later 3 spoke sti steering wheel too!
Thanks for looking
as per the title, got my first wagon last weekend. Its a 2000 model in standard Subaru colours. Its got 93K on the clock and has 2 previous owners.
The reason I chose this particular one is that it was the most standard out of the cars that I saw. Most had big mileage on top of aftermarket dump valves and remaps etc. Thiugh I'd be safer going for a standard vehicle.
Condition wise, its not perfect. As you'd expect for a 15 year old car. Its got a couple of chips and scratches and a bit of cracking paint on the rear bumper. But nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this age.
How easy/expensive is it to swap body panels on these cars? I quite fancy doing a saloon front end swap as I've heard that the arches are more aggressive?
Any problems swapping the interior parts for STI items either? I like the look of the later 3 spoke sti steering wheel too!
Thanks for looking
07 April 2015, 08:03 AM
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Gave myself a bit of an easter weekend project and did a tablet install on my wagon:
I prevously had a Sony bluetooth headunit but it was single DIN and looked messy. The tablet was easy to install but still needs a couple of issues ironing out.
I used a cheap 7" Lenovo A7-50 Tab. It makes a great touchscreen music player as well as sat nav when tethered to my phone!
Is anyone else running a tablet in their ride?
I prevously had a Sony bluetooth headunit but it was single DIN and looked messy. The tablet was easy to install but still needs a couple of issues ironing out.
I used a cheap 7" Lenovo A7-50 Tab. It makes a great touchscreen music player as well as sat nav when tethered to my phone!
Is anyone else running a tablet in their ride?
07 April 2015, 11:24 PM
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Watch this space regarding the saloon wings conversion. I'm doing it to my green Wrx Wagon...front is easy but rear involves some clever cutting and welding
07 April 2015, 11:44 PM
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I just put a Version 9 STI Hawkeye subframe and steering rack in the Wagon this afternoon 20 minutes quicker than Autodata said it would take too.
The whole idea for the saloon wing conversion for me started when I fitted the alloy STI wishbones to my Wagon without taking into account that the saloon has slightly longer bottom arms...cut a long story short, when the car came down off the lift, the toe out was comically gigantic so instead of taking the alloy wishbones off and putting the c*appy rusty ones back on, I just wound the tie rod ends out to compensate (more than made me feel comforatble)...so then I thought I would need some STI tie rods (about 15mm longer)...so I got em and the thread on em was too big to screw on my rack. 
By now I am cursing my lack of research and start seeking out an STI rack...and an absolutely fortuitous happening found me stumbling across the Hawk STI one on the Bay for £45...complete with original tie rods and still attached to the Hawk subframe with anti roll bar So yeah a series of happy little accidents put me on a path to doing a saloon wing conversion but I haven't yet decided whether to keep it Bug or go Blob or Hawk...I think the Prodrive looking white wagon above looks the business but then all the converted wagons I have seen so far look the nuts so it's a tough choice
The whole idea for the saloon wing conversion for me started when I fitted the alloy STI wishbones to my Wagon without taking into account that the saloon has slightly longer bottom arms...cut a long story short, when the car came down off the lift, the toe out was comically gigantic so instead of taking the alloy wishbones off and putting the c*appy rusty ones back on, I just wound the tie rod ends out to compensate (more than made me feel comforatble)...so then I thought I would need some STI tie rods (about 15mm longer)...so I got em and the thread on em was too big to screw on my rack. By now I am cursing my lack of research and start seeking out an STI rack...and an absolutely fortuitous happening found me stumbling across the Hawk STI one on the Bay for £45...complete with original tie rods and still attached to the Hawk subframe with anti roll bar
So yeah a series of happy little accidents put me on a path to doing a saloon wing conversion but I haven't yet decided whether to keep it Bug or go Blob or Hawk...I think the Prodrive looking white wagon above looks the business but then all the converted wagons I have seen so far look the nuts so it's a tough choice
Last edited by Sti Prodrive Edition; 07 April 2015 at 11:51 PM.
08 April 2015, 07:05 AM
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